


Ghost in the machine

by myotishia



Series: All ye who enter here [2]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-09 08:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18913102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A young man is pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. He is taken to the morgue where he wakes up, still without a pulse.





	1. Jason

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

 

It had been two months since the incident with Billis and morale had slowly bounced back. As Elise’s arm had been a group effort everyone was excited as the installation day dawned. Elise insisted on being awake for the procedure, just having the arm numbed out. She watched as the main skeletal structure was attached to the bone, screwed into place so it had no chance of ever coming loose. After that it was just a matter of letting the bio computer interface with her body. She winced slightly.

“Does that hurt?” Owen asked, concerned that she could feel anything.

“No, just feels strange. I can feel my fingers.”

The arm, now in position, could be completed with a cuff to comfortably cover and support the area where it was attached. It almost looked like she was just wearing thin armour over her original arm. She started the connection test, trying to move each finger independently and then together. Everything moved smoothly and felt natural. A lump started forming in her throat, feeling as if her arm had been returned to her. 

“All done. Let it heal in before you start using it fully, yea?” smiled Owen, starting his cleanup. 

“Can I show Tosh?”

“Don’t get up yet. You might not be completely drugged out of your mind but you should still let everything settle.” He looked up at the door. “But being as she’s right there… Tosh you can open the door. We’re all done.”

As Tosh was busy Ianto was keeping an eye on the alert system.

“Jack? We have an incident at the hospital. Male transported to the hospital after a traffic collision. Pronounced dead on arrival. When he was taken down to the morgue he woke up. Still no life signs but he’s very much conscious but in a state of confusion.”

“And here I was thinking it was going to be a quiet day. Gwen, let’s go and meet our undead friend.”   

Jason, the young man that had been rushed in after a car mounted the pavement and knocked him over, sat confused on a stool. The door had been locked so he couldn’t leave the morgue. It was a place he never wanted to be. At least it distracted him from the pain of the gravel rash on his left knee and elbow. The sound of the door unlocking made him turn. Gwen entered first.

“Jason Wayne?”

“Yea. That’s me. What’s going on? Why am I locked in here?”

“Don’t worry, we’re here to help. I’m Gwen.”

Behind her Jack was ‘quietly asking’ why the man had obviously not been treated after it became obvious he was still up and around. The doctor he was asking looked flustered and made an excuse to leave.

Gwen handed the injured man a tissue to at least clean the blood that had trickled down his face.

“Thanks.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“I think I got hit by a car… And I woke up in here. The doctors and nurses were saying stuff I didn’t understand and they locked me in here.”

Gwen dragged over another stool to sit on. “When you were brought in they couldn’t find any kind of life signs so you were brought here. At first when you woke up they thought they’d made a mistake but when they checked again you still had no pulse.”

“That’s… Not possible. I mean I’m talking to you.”

“That’s why we’re here. We want to find out what’s going on. Would you mind coming with us? Our doctor is a bit more experienced with odd cases.”

“To be honest I don’t think I’m that hurt, just scraped up.”

“You were still knocked out and have a head injury. We’d rather you at least get checked for a concussion."

“I guess… If there’s nothing wrong with me after that I can go home right?”

“If there’s nothing wrong then we’ll have no reason to keep you anywhere you don’t want to be.”

“Ok… I guess that’d be best.”

“Are you able to walk on that leg?”

He looked down at his knee, knowing that it should hurt but not really feeling it. “I can walk.”

 

Owen was happy to take a break once everything was cleaned up. He’d been a little stressed out about the procedure and hadn’t been sleeping well. If it was an op’ on a stranger he could sleep like a baby, 100% confident in his own skills, but when it came to the team he had to admit it felt more like being back in medical school. In an emergency he had adrenaline to run off but if something was planned he had more than enough time to overthink everything. He finished his coffee and rubbed his eyes, clearing his head. 

He looked up as Jack entered. 

“Owen. I’ve got a job for you.”

He stood and pulled on his lab coat. “What kind of job?” 

“Were you told about the report from the hospital?”

“Yea.”

“Well Gwen’s bringing him down.”

“I get some warning for once.”

“Just wanted to make sure you were free and there was nothing on display that we’d have to hide.”

“Fair enough. Any idea what’s going on with this bloke?”

“No idea, but that’s what you’re here for.”

Gwen led Jason down, a little unnerved that he wasn’t even limping. She wondered how much feeling he even had in that leg. 

“This is Dr Harper.” She said.

Owen nodded a greeting. “Take a seat.”

Jason nervously sat, looking back at Gwen for reassurance. She gave him a soft smile and mouthed that it was ok. Owen clipped the heart rate monitor onto one of Jason’s undamaged fingers. Nothing. He walked round and tried the other hand but found the same issue. 

“When was the last time you went for a check up?” He asked as he collected a couple of blood testing vials. 

“Um… Not for a long time I don’t think. Probably, ten years ago.” The blond man shrugged. 

“When was the last time you got ill? Even just a cold?”

“I don’t really get sick.”

“Ever had a blood test before?”

“No.”

Owen was looking on his patients uninjured arm for a vein and though he could see them they didn’t raise at all. Technically if this guy didn’t have a pulse then his blood wouldn’t run. He was considering his options when he realised something. Even though Jason had blood soaked into his clothes he didn’t smell like blood, at all. He had to work on a hunch. He took a swab from Jasons head wound and looked at it under a microscope. It wasn’t blood at all. It looked the part from the outside but on closer inspection it was more like coloured water mixed with gelatin. The doctor put on his poker face after tapping at his computer for a moment, setting off a few scans to run while he filled Jack in on the situation.

“I want to get an xray of your leg. Wait here while I get everything sorted.”

Jason looked up. “Ok.”

As he walked past he tugged Gwen’s sleeve, covertly asking her to follow him. As soon as they were out of earshot she stopped. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s not human.”

“I guessed but-”

“No. That isn’t blood. He has no life signs because he’s not alive, at least not by the classic definition. Experience tells me that anything trying that hard to look human has something to hide.”

“So what now?”

“We wait for the results.”

“And what do we tell him until then?”

“Nothing. They’ll be done before you could get an xray done in a normal hospital.”

Jack had been listening in and the conversation had piqued his curiosity. “What are we talking? Skin suit? Puppet?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

“In the meantime Gwen, can you take Elise and check out this guys house?”

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Will she be ok to head out? She did technically have surgery this morning.”

“You’re just looking around the house. She’ll be fine. I think she’s upstairs with Ianto.”

 

“See? With my gloves on you can’t even tell.” Elise enthused waving her fingers on her left hand. 

“I expected it to make a noise of some kind when you moved it.”

“It has no motors or cooling system to make any. Tosh managed to work a way to make the muscles tighten without the need for aid. I can even feel pressure on the fingertips.”

“That’s best for gripping things without them being crushed.”

She stuck her tongue out. “That only happened once in testing.”

“Twice.”

“The first one didn’t count. It wasn’t even calibrated fully yet.”

“By the way is it still bugging Owen how we’re speaking on chat?”

“Of course it is. He’s been cursing google translate for sucking all week. He’s considered learning welsh just out of spite.”

“I think hell will freeze over before that happens but it’s nice to hear. You would have thought he would have learned some by now.”

“I think he just blocks it out. Turns out I sometimes sleep talk in welsh and I’ve woken up to him sitting there with a digital phrasebook on his phone.”

Ianto chuckled at the image before looking up at the sound of the hidden door opening. Gwen peeped round. “Mind if I borrow this one?”

“Go ahead. I’ve got payroll to run anyway.” 

Elise waved as she left. “So what are you borrowing me for?”

“We’re going to look around the man from this mornings house.”

“How did that end up?”

“He’s downstairs and definitely not human.”

“Oooh mysterious.”

 

The house was small, old, and could have done with a bit of a makeover but it didn’t look dirty. The door wasn’t difficult to get open as the lock looked somehow older than the house. The bottom floor consisted of a kitchen/dining room and living room that looked like they hadn’t been used in a while. There was no microwave, fridge or tv and the cupboards seemed to be completely empty. Not like the person living there was low on money and couldn’t afford to shop but completely empty, like no one lived there.

“Is the power even on?” Asked Gwen. 

Elise flicked the light switch, only getting a very dim light from the bulb. “Where’s the fuse box in these places?”

“I think it’s under the stairs.” She pulled a small torch from her jacket and looked under the stairs. The fuse box was under there but there were some heavy duty wires running from it and up to the second floor. Elise looked under the stairs with her. 

“I don’t think that’s safe. We should probably turn off the power before we do anything else.”

“You shouldn’t get anywhere near that.”

“I’m insulated. It’s fine.” She ducked under the stairs and reached for the switch.

The low level buzz in the air subsided to nothing. Upstairs was made up of a single bedroom and a bathroom. The bathroom looked normal but the bedroom was missing one major piece of furniture. It had no bed.

 

Jason was thankful that the wound in his head had stopped bleeding as it had been getting in his eyes. At least he was relatively comfortable. Had he really started to heal that quickly? His knee had stopped bleeding completely and the skin had started to smooth out. Maybe he could go home after all. 

“We’ve got a few more questions.” Said Owen as he re-entered the room, followed by Jack just in case things went south. “When was the last time you ate?”

“Urm… Last night? Why?”

“And you definitely remember that?” 

“Well, I didn’t have chance to have breakfast so I had to have. I think I remember.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why?”

Owen sighed and brought up what looked like an xray projected on the wall. It didn’t look like a human skeleton, more like a complicated robot design.

Jason looked up and then back at Owen. “What’s that?”

“That’s you.”

“What? How?”

“Do you remember the last time you slept?”

“Last night! I don’t understand what you’re trying to do here.”

“Calm down. We want to understand just as much as you do.”

Jason pressed his hand against his head. “But I’m bleeding. Robots don’t bleed!”

“I agree but that’s not blood. Blood dries after a while and the blood that’s left on your cheek is still red and wet… Jason. Can you remember what your parents look like? Where they live?”

He couldn’t. He couldn’t remember his parents. Couldn’t even remember where he grew up. Who were his friends? Did he have any? “No. I’m human. I’m alive I-” He looked down at his shaking hands, grabbing the edge of the broken skin where he’d skidded across the pavement.

“Jason?”

He dug his nails into his flesh and pulled as hard as he could, exposing thousands of fine wires and a metal skeleton underneath. “W-what am I?”

 

Gwen took a closer look at the chair that sat in the corner of the room. The thick, industrial, wires ran up through the floor and plugged into a box set into the back of the chair. On the back of the chair, where your shoulder blades would be, a plug similar to a USB stuck out. It was like a human sized charging station. Elise opened up the box to examine what was inside. It looked similar to the inside of a PC: motherboard, cpu, hard drive, cooling unit. But not the same. It was much more advanced than even a government laboratory would have for the next few centuries. 

Elise tapped her earpiece. “Tosh. We have something here for you to take a look at. It’ll take me a while to dismantle it enough to fit it in the SUV though.”

“Send me a picture.”

Elise took a picture with her phone and sent it. “There you go.”

“I wonder what’s on the hard drive. Where’s the monitor?”

“There isn’t one. No sign of a gpu either.”

“That’s strange.”

“You can find out why when we get back.”

“No heavy lifting.”

“I know, I know.”

Gwen cut in. “Tosh. How long has Jason been living here?”

“Let me see.” Tosh said softly, tapping at her keyboard. “Hmm, he’s not named on the lease. It’s meant to be let to a woman named Caroline Derby. The landlord has the same surname. Yep, she’s their eldest daughter.”

“A girlfriend?”

“Well the scan results came back… He’s an android. And though I found a birth certificate I don’t think it’s real. There’s no record of him ever attending school or ever having a job. He said he was going to a job interview but there’s not record of him at any business within the city.”

“Maybe he belongs to her. Where do her parents live?”

“I’ll send the address through to the GPS.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Gwen tapped her earpiece off. 

 

With the dismantled charging system safely stored the two headed to Mr and Mrs Derby’s address. The building was a very well kept family home, the fence around the front obviously painted recently. Gwen took the lead, knocking on the front door. 

A woman, who looked to be in her late fifties, answered.

“Yes?”

“We’re looking for a Miss Caroline Derby.”

“That’s my daughter. Can I ask what this is about?”

“There’s been a break in at her registered address.”

The woman gasped. “Oh… Come in, come in. I’ll call her down.” She lead them into the living room and called up the stairs. “Carol! There’s two police officers here to talk to you.”

People always assumed anyone who spoke with authority and knew their address were police. It made life easier at least. A younger woman, in her late twenties, hurried down. Her eyes looked bloodshot and puffy. 

“You’re here to talk with me?”

“Yes. Are you alright miss?”

“Yea… Just hay fever.” An obvious lie as she had the remnants of tear melted mascara and eyeliner under her eyes.

“Well, we’ve had reports of a break in at your current registered address.”

The colour drained from the womans face. “Was anyone there?”

“No ma’am. Should there have been?”

“No… Well I had a friend checking on the place.”

“Would we be able to talk to this friend?”

“I can try and call him but we were meant to meet earlier and he didn’t turn up.”

“Do you have his address?”

“No. Sorry.”

“What’s his name?”

“Jason Wayne… Umm… Could I talk to you in private?” She looked over at her mother who was loitering around the dining room. 

“Of course. Where do you think would be best?”

“My room?”

“That’s fine. You lead the way.”

As soon as they were in the room Caroline closed the door. “Look, there wasn’t anything in there to start with. I don’t want the trouble of a big investigation, could I just let it drop?”

“We would but there were a few odd things we found when we looked around.”

“Oh?” She was visibly nervous.

“Someone had bypassed the fuse box to power some kind of electric chair.” Gwen had to think what she would have called it before she ran into Torchwood. 

“That’s so strange.” She walked across the room and took a gulp of what looked like a smoothie before she started playing with an unusual potted plant on her desk.

“And who is Jason to you?”

“Just my friend. That’s all. He’s not involved in any of this.”

“Are you sure? If he has access to the house-”

“It wasn’t him! He… I don’t know where he is but I know he wouldn’t be part of a break in.” She turned and her eyes looked different. Her pupils were tiny.

“Are you alright miss?”

“I’m just stressed… You aren’t police. You never showed a badge and you’re not in uniform. You’re definitely part of some organisation. You know where Jason is, don’t you? You knew what the chair was so you know what he is. You traced him back to me because of the house. There never was a break in.” She was speaking extremely quickly, like a stream of consciousness pouring forwards. 

“Caroline, calm down. Have you taken something?”

“Drugs? No. No, I don’t take drugs. Don’t try and act like I’m crazy. I’m smarter than you think. Didn’t used to be but now I am. You used to be a police officer, you know how they work and act. Something changed. You found out something you shouldn’t have and couldn’t go back. I should have known someone would notice him eventually.” 

“Sit down, please. I’m not trying to make you look crazy. Please tell me if you’ve taken anything.”

Carol began pacing back and forth. “No pills. Fruit. Yes, he would have been noticed. He got hurt but he doesn’t have a heartbeat. Should put in a heartbeat. Is he ok? He needs to charge.”

“Wait, did you make him?”

“I did. Said I wanted to make friends but it misunderstood. Gave me fruit to help me think.”

“What did?”

“The space ship. Had plants. Had androids controlled by it. Copied their basic design and made Jason. Not enough memory. Need to reboot to factory settings each night. Need to expand.” She grabbed the smoothie and glugged the rest. “Need a more powerful computer. Could change the design. Yes, yes, yes, make a heating system. Re-programme the AI to constantly learn. Yes, need a computer from the ship.” She was speaking even faster and more chaotically. 

“Where was this ship?”

“Not telling, no, said I wouldn’t. Just need to rewire his brain, use a respiratory cooling system. Almost human. Need a better battery.”

“Carol. Slow down.” Gwen could see the vein in Carols neck pulsing incredibly quickly.

Her movements had become jittery and her pupils were barely visible. 

“No, I needed to think faster. Only meant to eat six berries at a time but just a few more. Needed to find Jason. I could make another now.” She was hyperventilating and a small trickle of blood ran down from her ear. 

“Carol!”

Elise pulled out her phone. “Hospital or Owen?”

“Hospital. Carol please, you have to sit down.”

Caroline collapsed, Gwen catching her on the way down, her eyes darting around the room. Gwen could hear Elise making an urgent call for an ambulance.

 

Jason had calmed slightly but only out of tiredness. His speech had even slowed. Jack had tried to get as much information as he could but Jason really didn’t seem to know anything.

“Am I going to die?” The blond man asked.

Jack shook his head. “No… Even if your battery runs out you can be recharged.”

“Recharged… Like sleeping.”

“Yea. I guess so.”

“I can’t remember if I dream. I thought I did but … I thought I was human.”

“If it makes you feel better about sleeping for a bit then why not try?”

“But if I’m just a computer then how?”

“Think of it like being on standby. Things are still running in the background but your body will be asleep.”

“That sounds nice… Thank you for sitting with me.”

“It’s ok. You might be an android but you have emotions. It would be cruel to just leave you here alone.”

“I’m scared. I wonder if I get scared every time I run down. I hope not. When the car hit me I thought I was going to die… Maybe I did and this is all my brain shutting down.”

“Would that be better?”

“Than everything I know being a lie? Yes.”

“Then believe that instead.”

“Does that make you death?”

“If I was I’m sure more people wouldn’t mind passing.”

Jason smiled. “Is it ok if I try and sleep?”

“Sure. I’ll be here.”

“Thank yo-” His voice droned slow and low as he closed his eyes, shutting down. Jack felt sorry for him. If he’d had any malicious intent it would have presented itself a while ago but he was just trying to live a life he thought he had. He had feelings, hopes, fears. What made him so different than any other conscious being.            


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where did this android come from?

Gwen rubbed her hands over her face, sitting in the worn down chairs in the hospital waiting room. They’d ended up rushing Caroline to the hospital themselves, her parents following behind. Elise had grabbed the glass and the plant from the desk to help maybe find if she’d actually taken something more mundane than an alien fruit. A doctor walked over looking grim.

“You’re the officers that brought Miss Derby in?”

“Yes. How is she?” Gwen didn't need to ask, it was written all over the doctors face.

“Sadly there was nothing we could do. We haven’t been able to identify the drug she had taken but it caused an extreme increase in her blood pressure and swelling of her brain. Her parents are just saying their goodbyes.”

“Thank you. When will her body be released?”

“Tomorrow morning. Should we be worried about more cases coming in?”

“No. From what we found what she took was experimental.”

“Whatever she made, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“We’ll be in contact.”

The doctor nodded and headed back to Carolines room. Gwen stood and sighed, letting out the long breath she’d been holding. Elise rubbed her back.

“Come on. We should go.”

“Yea. I know… I just hoped she’d be ok.”

“I think she was too far gone before we even got here.” Elise looked down at the blood that had soaked into her shirt.

“I suppose… We should get the computer to Tosh.”

“Want me to drive?”

“Yea.”

 

When they got back Gwen carried the computer in, placing it down next to Toshiko’s desk.

“Didn’t it go well?” Tosh asked.

“She was drinking this fruit drink to make her smarter and she took too much. She died at the hospital.”

“I’m sorry.”

Gwen wanted to change the subject, still feeling awful. “How’s Jason?”

“His battery ran down.”

“Can today just stop for a few minutes?” She jolted as something jumped up onto her back, soft green fur snuggling up to her. “Seren. What are you doing out of the greenhouse?”

The plant kitten chirped happily, wrapping its tail over her shoulder. 

Tosh smiled. “I think they want to cheer you up.”

“Oi!” Called Owen. “Get your fuzzy arse back here.” He was covered in yellow pollen and had a face like thunder.

Seren snuggled into Gwens neck, still singing it’s little song, pulling a small giggle from her. 

“Don’t hide behind her you glorified daisy.”

“What did they do?”

“I had all the other plants covered to stop cross pollination but this little shit dug through every single one.”

“Well it is spring. You’ve got pollen … um… Everywhere.”

“Can you just put that thing back in the greenhouse before I spike its water with weedkiller?”

“I will. You just wanted to cuddle the other plants didn’t you” She baby talked at the cheery creature while Owen huffed off, trying to brush off some of the yellow powder. Seren took the moment to hop down and trot back to the greenhouse itself to bask under one of the sun lamps while Gwen and Tosh fell into a fit of laughter.  

Elise had gone to see if she had a spare shirt to change in to as she had blood on the one she’d been wearing. She’d actually gotten used to not using her left arm and it was a tough habit to break. At least it gave her the chance to look at her arm in a mirror.

“If I knew there’d be a show I would have come down here earlier.” Said Owen with a smirk.

“Oh shush. Cheeky sod.”

“I’m serious. Can I sign up for text alerts or something?”

She looked over at him and paused. “What the hell have you been rolling in?”

“The little green rat’s been pollinating everything in the greenhouse. Turns out they can throw off all that pollen in one go when surprised.”

She snorted as she took her shirt and tossed it aside, still stifling laughter. “Speaking of plants, we retrieved one from Caroline Derby’s house. I think it’s what she was eating and overdosed. She said she’d found a ship and the androids inside gave them to her. I’ve got to try and find where on earth she went to find this supposed ship.”

“Even if it was there it might not be anymore.”

“I know. If it’s no longer on Earth then we won’t have a problem but if it is…”

“Might have to let UNIT handle it if they haven’t got hold of it already. Depending on where it is.”

“You would have thought they would have responded when Cthulhu showed his ugly face.”

“Usually I’m happy when they don’t turn up but yea. They’ve been a bit too quiet for a while.”

“Think they’ve just given up travelling to Wales?”

“Could have. They get their funding from the government and you know how crap they are.”

“Point. Anyway, you should get changed. I’m getting hay fever just looking at you.”

“Yea, yea.” He wandered past her, unhooking her bra on the way past. 

“Oi!”

“I hooked it, I can unhook it.” He grinned.

 

Tosh was feeling more and more sorry for the android and his creator as she reviewed the data on the charging station computer. All of his memories had been stored on it. Downloaded each time he was plugged in. Each day was the same. Rushing for a job interview that didn’t exist, bumping into his creator and just spending the day together. She really had just wanted a friend. Each time they parted she looked at him with such sad eyes, knowing she would be forgotten like every day before. For Jason every memory with her had a positive emotional attachment. She had been his only friend and he had been hers. Tosh couldn’t watch every single one so she skipped to the very first three that were saved. The first was spent in a single room that looked like it was in an abandoned building, cobwebs decorating every corner and light shining through sun bleached curtains. Dust hung heavy in the air as he asked Carol who she was. She looked so happy, if a little wired. The second day she tested his mobility by letting him walk outside.

“Gwen, take a look at this. It looks familiar but I can’t remember from where.”

Gwen hopped over and looked over Toshiko’s shoulder, watching the first person view. The memory hit her like a truck. She very much recognised that building. “The beacons.” 

Tosh looked round, wide eyed. “No.”

For a moment the pock mark scars on Gwens side itched, the memory of that mission haunting her.

“You look like you’ve both seen a ghost.” Jack said, appearing behind them.

Tosh just pointed a shaking finger at the screen.

His face fell. “I’m not going to make any of you go back there.”

“What if the ship she mentioned is still out there?” Asked Gwen, taking a step back.

“I can look for it alone. If it isn’t there then you can all just forget about it.”

“And if it is?”

“I’ll deal with that if it comes to it.”

“You can’t go alone. That place might bring up bad memories but it’s not going to stop me coming with you.”

“Only if you’re sure. Think about it overnight.” 

 

After a restless and nightmare filled night Gwen had started to rethink her volunteering to go along. It seemed she wasn’t the only one as Tosh was practically asleep at her desk and Ianto seemed even quieter than he usually was. Even Owen looked a little subdued, and not in his normal moody way. Everyone was feeling like hell. Elise handed Gwen her coffee.

“You don’t have to go. I’m going to go with Jack. You guys shouldn’t have to go back there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yea. Ianto told me everything. I’ve promised to call in if things get even slightly risky.”

“I’m surprised he even wanted to tell you. It hit him harder than all of us.”

“He said I should know what was going on. It actually helped a lot last night.”

“Tosh?”

“Both of them actually. How are you holding up?”

“I’ve been better but I’ve been worse too. I’ll be fine.”

“Can you keep an eye on Ianto for me today? Jack said not to worry about anything unless it’s an emergency so you’ll have time.”

“Of course I will. Think your two’ll be ok?”

“Yea. They’ve got each other. We should be back by tonight so it shouldn’t be too bad.”

“I know this all must seem silly to you…”

“No no. I’d rather deal with a room full of aliens that a couple of psychopathic humans and that sort of stuff stays with you. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like.”

“Ready to go?” Jack called, his voice softer than usual.

“Got to go.” Elise smiled softly before jogging away. 

 

The drive was quiet. Jack wasn’t being his usual talkative self and it was kind of unnerving. 

“So… All of those people went to prison, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yea. Most of them did.” He replied, pulled from his thoughts. “A couple of kids went into care. One of the adults killed himself before his trial. The others will spend the rest of their days behind bars.”

“How’re you holding up?”

“Me? I’m fine.”

“Ianto told me how you saved his life after he... “

He gripped the steering wheel. “I did.”

“So…?”

“So what?”

“Look, Ianto said he was worried about you and I promised to ask while you couldn’t run off.”

His grip relaxed a little. “So that’s what you were both chatting about last night.”

“Well, yea. Just talk to him when we get back, ok?”

“I will.”

“I worry about you too, you know.”

“Why?”

“You’re my friend. I know you try and keep people at an emotional distance but, like it or not, we’re linked.”

He raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her, puzzled.

“I noticed that I can only time travel if it’s for the five of you. I figure it’s my job to keep you all in one piece and that means you too.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Maybe I want to. I know I belong to Torchwood technically. That’s why I never removed the tracking bug from my phone. Never complained when I couldn’t go to the hospital. I’ve read how Torchwood used to be and how Torchwood One was. I’m grateful that I don’t have a permanent spot in a cell next to Janet. I know the kind of risk I could pose.”

“Elise.” He sighed. “I don’t consider you a risk. On paper you’re an asset but as far as I’m concerned you’re an employee the same as the others.”

“Then call it working for my paycheck. I understand if you want to keep your personal life personal but don’t let that stop you reaching out if you need to.”

“You’re worse than Gwen, you know that?”

“Yea.” She smiled. “She’s like the big sister of the hub. I’m the weird aunt that gives you cookies then goes and destroys your bullies life.”

For the first time that day Jack actually laughed. “So what does that make the rest of us?”

“Owen’s the middle child. Ianto’s the dad who’s absolutely done with everyone’s shit. Tosh is the little sister.”

“And me?”

“You’re the other dad of course.”

“A more modern family then.”

“Dynamics wise, yea.”

 

Owen was keeping busy with the plant that supposedly made you more intelligent if you consumed the berries. The berries themselves were small , sky blue on the outside and a light purple on the inside. The plant itself looked relatively harmless and smelled similar to strawberries. So far he’d found that it was an effective blood thinner in large doses but also increased blood pressure alarmingly quickly. He had a theory that it made humans temporarily more intelligent by stimulating brain activity, the creation of new brain tissue and easing the transmission of electrical signals through the neural pathways. Ingesting too many would create pressure inside the skull and begin firing off so many random signals that the body would stop functioning as it should. They were much too dangerous to develop for use. He’d hoped it would take longer so he could stay busy. No, he wasn’t going to just sit around and let a memory of some humans doing cult bullshit make him feel like crap. He dropped his lab coat on his chair. 

“Tosh.” He called.

She looked up over her glasses. “Something wrong?”

“Today’s shit so I’m saying sod it. Lets go to the cinema or something.”

“We can’t just ditch work.”

“We were told to not worry about it unless there was an emergency. I see no emergency.”

“Don’t be silly.” She laughed.

“I’m serious. Hey, Gwen. Cinema? Yes? No?”

Gwen looked around. “What? Now?”

“Yes. Today’s shit and this place is depressing, let’s go.”

“Ok.”

“See? It’s not ditching work if it’s all of us. It’s team building.”

Tosh took of her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Ok. Ok. Go and get Ianto. But if we all get in trouble I’m blaming you.”

 

The village truly had been abandoned. Plants growing up around the walls of the buildings and signs that animals had started to inhabit each of the houses they could get into. The pub had taken the brunt of the damage over time as the lock on the door was broken and hadn’t been replaced. Elise pushed the door open, the hinges creaking.

“D’you think there will be anything here to tell us where the ship is?”

“Probably not but if there is it would be a pain if we missed it. You would have thought the police would have cleared this place out.”

“If the ones who went to prison owned these places outright then there was nothing they could do. Thinking of stocking up ?”

He smiled, leaning against the bar. “Better than it all being left.”

“No arguments here. You might have to fight him for it though.” She pointed to the badger that was snuffling behind the bar.

“He was here first, he can have the first choice.”

She laughed softly and headed up the stairs. Tools and scrap wires were strewn across the carpet of the second floor landing. The doors in the hallway were all open, likely left from the investigation. The first room on the left had been set up like a workshop. The carpet had been pulled up and a table had been carried up to work on top of. A few scorch marks decorated the surface and multiple, likely empty, car batteries were stacked against the wall. Jack had followed her after opening a bottle of water for the badger and tipping it into a dish. He could hear a soft hum from the end of the hallway and could see some vague movement. He waved for Elise to follow and stay quiet. She followed, one hand on her gun just in case. They both hoped it was just an animal. Beyond the open door sat a figure with thick cables plugged into its back.

      

The other end of the cables were plugged into some kind of power generator. The grey skinned android looked round.

“You are not the human designated Caroline.” It didn’t sound upset, more confused.

“No, we’re not. Who are you?” Asked Jack, his shoulders relaxing a little.

“I am designated JX4 Alpha. I have been ordered to assist the human Caroline in creating a companion. Where is the human Caroline?”

“She died.”

“That is regrettable. I offer my condolences. I will return to my ship unless there is something I can do for you human.”

“I could think of a few things but usually I’d buy you dinner first.”

“I do not require sustenance to function.”

“I can appreciate a cheap date.”

Elise rolled her eyes. “Jack, can you not?”

“Not what?”

“Never mind. JX4? Can you take us to your ship?”

The android stood, pulling the wires from its back with one of its four hands. “I am able to lead you to my ship. It is damaged but the main computer is functional.” It gathered its wires and the generator.

 

The ship had clearly been patched with whatever the androids could find. JX4 opened a hatch in the side.

“JX4 Alpha returning with two humans. The human Caroline is reported deceased. The status of her companion is unknown.” It said. 

A digitised voice replied. “That is unfortunate. Return to your duties JX4 Alpha.”

“Order recognised.”

“Welcome humans. What should I refer to you as.”

Jack looked around the slightly tilted ship. “I’m Captain Jack Harkness and this is Elise Carter.”

“Designations recorded. How can I be of help Captain?”

“What happened to this ship?”

“This ship is designed to transport flora from one planet to a new, more suitable, planet. During our journey we encountered a spatial anomaly. As we attempted to maneuver around it we were pulled in. The organic members of the crew survived the initial collision but found the abundance of nitrogen within the atmosphere of this planet to be toxic.  The flora we are carrying seem unaffected and we plan to continue to our destination as soon as possible. We were not programmed to repair this ship beyond general maintenance so it is taking longer than we first anticipated.” 

“If you need help I can take a look.”

“Your assistance would be appreciated but do you have any previous experience with vessels such as this?”

“This exact model, no, but I’ve owned my own ship before. My skills kept her purring.”

“I assume that is a positive response.”

An android, similar to JX4 but dressed in what was likely a uniform, beckoned them over. “This way.” 

They were led to the engine room where two other androids were attempting repairs. They had patched up the outside but it was still running on small generators. Jack pulled off his coat and rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s take a look.”

 

Elise was impressed with Jacks skills as he started patching up the engine. She had jumped in to help. It was a complex device but followed the same laws of physics as everything else. The androids had been tasked with dismantling two of the generators for parts, one of them being JX4. It was watching Elise intently.

“What’s wrong?” She asked as she passed over a broken power storage unit.

“Wrong?”

“Yea. You keep looking at me. Is there anything you want to ask?”

“Human Elise. You are an android?”

“Huh?” She looked confused for a moment before realising what it meant. “Oh my arm. No, I’m human. I lost my arm so it was replaced with a mechanical one.”

“You can not find your lost arm?”

“It’s not that kind of lost. It was damaged beyond repair.”

“Can humans not grow another?”

“No. We can heal a lot but we can’t regrow limbs.”

“You use cybernetics instead.”

“Yes.”

“Does it cause you pain?”

“It was a little sore when it was first put in but this morning it feels much more comfortable.”

“Human Caroline said it was important for her companion to look like a human but your arm is clearly a metal. What is your reasoning?”

“Human skin is soft and can’t protect the wires inside very well. She wanted to have a friend that was, on the surface, human so having soft skin was important to her. I just want to be able to use the left side of my body so metal’s more than good enough for me.”

“Human Caroline wished for aesthetics but you wish for strength and functionality. Thank you for indulging my curiosity.”

“No problem. Can you pass me those power storage cells?”

JX4 held out the devices for Elise to take. She took them gently and set them into place, wiring them up to the rest of the engine.

“And you were telling me off for flirting.” Jack teased cheerily.

She stuck out her tongue at him. “I was just answering their questions.”

“I’m just saying a four armed android could be a good way to complete your relationship set.”

“She snorted with laughter. “Naa, I’m saving up all my harem points for a special addition immortal and the most organised man in all of Wales.”

“It takes more than a few harem points to buy me.”

“So you’re the top prize are you?”

“So I’ve been told.”

“Well, Mr Top prize, are you nearly done with the core?”

“Yea. She looks ready to go.”

They clambered out of the mass of machinery. The androids closed the maintenance hatch and  the main lighting system switched on.

The computers voice returned. “Many thanks. Would you like anything in return for your aid?”

“Just try and avoid Earth if you can. Our population isn’t ready to know you exist.” Jack replied.

“That I can grant.”

 

Outside they watched the ship lift off and shoot into the now dark sky. It had taken longer than they thought it would so the walk back would be a tripping hazard. Elise took a deep breath of the cool night air. 

“So, you had your own ship, huh?”

“Yea. I piloted her anyway. No money traded hands.”

She chuckled. “I’m guessing this was before you met the Doctor.”

“Of course.”

“You never get to see the stars like this in the city.”

“The joys of light pollution. Oil lamps weren’t so bad when you could see the night so clearly. It’s the nearest thing you can get to a universal constant.” 

“It’s nice to have something so familiar… Jack… Do you eventually start forgetting your past?”

“Only the mundane things. Why?”

“I’ve been forgetting the little details about my time. I have so many photos on my phone and some of them I don’t even remember taking.”

“Anything important?”

“I don’t think so, it’s just unnerving. I thought maybe it was a time travel thing.”

“As long as it doesn’t get any worse don’t worry. If it does then tell me, ok?”

“Ok… Want to swing by the pub before we go?”

  
  



End file.
